Monday, June 30, 2014

Welcome to our new brothers and sisters who voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 264 in Cheektowaga, N.Y.! They sell and deliver baked goods across western New York for Costanzo’s Bakery.

The company made a concerted effort to discourage unionization through weekly captive audience meetings and intimidation.

The workers approached Local 264 in early May looking for help with problems that had grown unbearable at Costanzo's.

Kevin Schmidt, a sales route driver at Costanzo's, said:

We were being treated poorly by management who was adding more and more stops to our routes without compensation. No matter how we approached the company, they ignored us, but with the Teamsters representing us, they won’t be able to ignore us any longer.

Schmidt praised the local for all the work they had done leading up to the vote, including getting a driver reinstated after the company fired him.

Tony Vaccaro, Local 264 business agent, explained:

We filed an unfair labor practice complaint after Costanzo’s fired a driver as a way, we believe, to intimidate other workers who wanted a union. Despite all of the anti-union tactics management threw at these guys, they remained united and voted for their union.

In the case Harris v. Quinn, the court's five conservative justices ruled that home-care workers in Illinois—such as the lead plaintiff, Pam Harris—cannot be forced to pay dues to a union if they're not union members because they are not full-fledged public employees like cops, firefighters, and teachers.

But there's good news for organized labor: The court did not deliver the killer blow to public-employee unions as some warned it might. The court declined to overturn the 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the opinion that upheld the model of public-employee unionism. Had the court tossed out Abood, it would've essentially made right-to-work—one of the conservative movement's favorite anti-union policies—the law of the land and dramatically damaged the ability of unions such as SEIU, AFSCME, and others that represent public workers to collect dues and engage in political and issue advocacy.

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) notes the decision makes an unjustified distinction among the ‘customer’ receiving care, the personal assistant providing the care and the state paying for the care. Christine Owens, NELP's director, said the decision does not evenly balance the scales of justice:

...the court elevated the interests of the minority objecting to paying their fair share over those of the majority who had democratically elected a union and the State that had concluded this form of representation was in the best interest of all parties.... Far from helping to create good jobs and provide good care for the elderly and disabled, the court’s decision will make it harder to achieve these important societal and economic objectives.

TradeTalks on Pacific Trade Zone Set for Canada in Early July Wall Street Journal ...Chief negotiators from the dozen countries aiming to create a free-trade zone spanning the Pacific Ocean will gather in Ottawa early next month in a bid to advance the talks toward a deal...Japan, US kick off TPP talks on deadlock issues Ecns.cn ...The three-day working level meeting will cover issues over tariffs on key farm products such as beef and pork and trade barriers on the auto sector, according to local media...Australia to question Brunei over stoning laws before trade talks Sydney Morning Herald ...The Australian government will question Brunei over its new criminal law regime – whose punishments include limb amputation for theft and stoning to death for adultery or homosexuality – before deciding whether to proceed with trade negotiations with the tiny, but oil-rich, Sultanate...State BattlesFederal prosecutors say Ben Suarez tried to buy influence from Josh Mandel, Jim Renacci Cleveland Plain Dealer ...In 2011, Suarez's company, Suarez Corporation, was facing ongoing litigation from a group of district attorneys in California over false advertising of one of its products. Lutzko said Suarez thought he could solve his problems with money, knowing it was illegal for his company to donate to political campaigns...Local Taxes Up 34% Under Kasich Innovation Ohio ...$670 million in new school operating levies have been passed by Ohio taxpayers between May, 2011 and May, 2014. The local tax hikes represent a 34% increase over the corresponding 3 year period prior to Kasich’s governorship...War on WorkersUnions Fear This SCOTUS Case Could Bring Their 'Final Destruction' Talking Points Memo ...The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Monday, the last day of its term, in a landmark case that unions fear could deal a fatal blow to their movement. The case, Harris v. Quinn, is about the constitutionality of "agency fees" charged by public sector unions to all workers in a unionized setting, even non-union members…Workplace secrecy agreements appear to violate federal whistleblower laws Washington Post ...Lawyers who represent whistleblowers like Busche say they are seeing a rise in the use of overly restrictive nondisclosure agreements, which prevent employees from reporting fraud, even to government investigators. The agreements incorporate language that goes beyond those that had traditionally protected proprietary information, the attorneys said. In recent months, agreements criticized as overly restrictive have surfaced at Kellogg, Brown and Root, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, and International Relief and Development, a nonprofit organization in Arlington County, Va...Moaning Moguls New Yorker ...Although the Obama years have been boom times for America’s super-rich—recent work by the economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty showed that ninety-five per cent of income gains in the first three years of the recovery went to the top one per cent—a lot of them believe that they’re a persecuted minority...With Teacher Tenure Threatened, Trouble in Every Direction for Public Education truthout ...The magic sauce for this reform recipe has three ingredients: replace the public schools with some sort of privately controlled administration, sort the winners relentlessly from the losers - test, test, TEST! (then punish), and destroy teachers' ability to speak with any sustained or unified voice...David Cameron to allow ALL public land to be privatised – another devastating blow to democracy 4bitnews ...The Infrastructure Bill has somehow managed to slip through to its Second Reading in the House of Lords from 1830 Wednesday 18th June 2014, with almost zero news coverage...MiscellaneousDemographics: Prime and Near-Prime Population and Labor Force Calculated Risk ...The good news is the prime working age group will start growing again by 2020, and this should boost economic activity...

Sunday, June 29, 2014

TeamstersTeamsters contract with Washoe transit system expires Monday; extension possible KRNV ... "Contact talks between the company and the union have been making progress, although too much remains to finalize an agreement by midnight on Monday," Local 533 President Gary Watson, the union's lead negotiator said...TradeAnti-Fast Track/TPP Rallies And Events Next Week Trade Reform ...There will be a number of rallies and other events over the July 4 Congressional recess, focused on members of Congress in their home districts. These events will be to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the proposed “fast track” process that essentially bypasses Congress to get it signed into law...State BattlesTax cuts in Kansas have cost the state money — and job creation’s been terrible Washington Post ...job growth in Kansas has actually lagged behind the U.S. average, especially in the years following the first round of Brownback tax cuts in 2012...War on WorkersHarris v. Quinn: Will the Supreme Court Abolish Public Sector Unions on Monday naked capitalism ...Joel Rogers, a professor of law and sociology at the University of Wisconsin, calls it “the most important labor law case the court has considered in decades...”When a Health Plan Knows How You Shop New York Times ...The Pittsburgh health plan, for instance, has developed prediction models that analyze data like patient claims, prescriptions and census records to determine which members are likely to use the most emergency and urgent care … But the insurer recently bolstered its forecasting models with details on members’ household incomes, education levels, marital status, race or ethnicity, number of children at home, number of cars...Housing Improving but Rental Crisis Looms Mortgage News Daily ...Tight credit, still elevated unemployment, and mounting student loan debt among young Americans are responsible for moderating growth and keeping millennials and other first-time homebuyers out of the market...If Women Want Better Pay, They Should Support Unions Huffington Post ...Women in unions make 12.9 percent more, on average, than their non-union counterparts, according to the study. For women with just a high school diploma, that difference is 15 percent. Women in unions with a college degree make 13.4 percent more than their non-union colleagues, the study found...Facebook Conducted Psychological Experiments On Unknowing Users ThinkProgress ...The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. was successful. It found that, indeed, manipulating the algorithm to show more “positive” posts in your news feed will actually inspire you to write more “positive” posts yourself...MiscellaneousThe C.E.O. Is My Friend. So Back Off. New York Times ...when social relationships were disclosed as part of director-independence regulations, board members didn’t toughen their oversight of their chief-executive pals. Rather, the directors went easier on the C.E.O., perhaps believing that they had done their duty by disclosing the relationship...

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Teamster NewsUlster County Resource Recovery Agency, Employees' Union Reach Deal Daily Freeman ...An agreement between the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency board and 21 agency employees who are part of the Teamsters union gives the employees raises of 2 percent per year for 2014, 2015 and 2016 and, for the first time, mandates employee contributions to their heath insurance costs....Parking Employees Can Seek Arbitration To Regain Jobs Scranton Times-Tribune ...The Commonwealth Court said Lackawanna County Judge Vito Geroulo erred when he ruled Teamsters Local 229 had to first obtain the judge’s permission before it could seek an arbitration hearing on behalf of garage maintenance workers who lost their jobs after a private firm, Central Parking, took over operation of the city’s five parking garages...Costanzo's Bakery Sales Drivers Join Teamsters Local 264 teamster.org ...route sales drivers at Costanzo’s Bakery overwhelmingly voted to join Teamsters Local 264 in Cheektowaga, N.Y. despite a concerted effort by the company to discourage unionization that included weekly captive audience meetings and intimidation...Teamster Local Union Leaders Endorse Proposed AEI Agreement teamster.org ...Leaders of Teamster local unions that represent workers at Air Express International (AEI) met today and unanimously endorsed the proposed National Master AEI Agreement and the company’s final offer...TradeObama TPP Trade Officials Got Hefty Bonuses From Big Banks As “Reward” For Joining Government America Blog ...Officials tapped by the Obama administration to lead the Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] trade negotiations have received multi-million dollar bonuses from CitiGroup and Bank of America, financial disclosures obtained by Republic Report show...State BattlesPaycheck Deduction Bills Advance In Pa. Legislature CBS Philly ...Controversial legislation that would limit union deductions from the paychecks of public employees is in position for a possible vote as lawmakers wrap up work before summer recess...Meeting In Providence, Unitarians Join Protest For Fair Wages Providence Journal ...In his opening prayer, Rodriguez said low-wage workers have to make “terrible decisions between paying their rent and feeding their families. … Pay them enough to live.” By mid-rally, the crowd had grown to more than 250. The signs they held included “Minimum Wage is a Moral Outrage.”...War On WorkersU.S. Supreme Court Ruling Seen Unlikely To Alter Past NLRB Decisions Reuters ...A Supreme Court ruling on Thursday raised questions about the validity of more than 1,000 U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decisions, but any cases the board reconsiders will likely end with similar decisions, labor lawyers said...Investors Who Bought Foreclosed Homes in Bulk Look to Sell New York Times ...The single-family home market, after a wave of acquisitions by companies backed by Wall Street money, is changing as institutional buyers now focus more on expanding their operations to manage tens of thousands of homes across the United States...To Get A Fair Share, Sharing Economy Workers Must Unionize Al-Jazeera America ...Only four years after the service debuted in San Francisco, Uber drivers nationwide are getting organized and demanding better treatment...No, The Long-Term Jobless Aren't 'Catching A Break' FiveThirtyEight ... Only about 11 percent of the long-term jobless find jobs each month, little better than in the depths of the recession. Moreover, even those who do find jobs are often able to find only part-time or short-term work...MiscellaneousReport: Mexican Military Chopper Crosses Into US, Shoots At Border Agents CBS Las Vegas ...Mexican authorities were conducting a drug interdiction operation when the incident happened early Thursday morning on the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation. The Mexican chopper fired at the agents and then flew back into Mexico....PRISM, Local Edition: NY DA Employs 381 Secret Orders to Gather Complete Digital Dossiers from Facebook Electronic Frontier Foundation ...The DA was looking for evidence of disability fraud, and saw Facebook as a treasure trove. … Perhaps some of them, after claiming a disability, would post a windsurfing selfie or write about their marathon training, and evidence their fraud...6 Groups That Are Reinventing Organized Labor Think Progress ...while in this changed economy just 11.3 percent of the nation’s wage and salary workers — about 14.5 million people — belong to unions, millions of other American workers are also organizing and uniting for better conditions, in a manner outside of the union structure created by the National Labor Relations Act...U.S. Government, Not Banks, Should Service Loans, Professors Argue Chronicle of Higher Education ...Student-loan servicers are not doing enough to help borrowers. Mr. Fink and Mr. Zullo argue that the federal government should consider moving the responsibility to an agency with the capacity and inclination to help manage the student-loan crisis...

Friday, June 27, 2014

In 2014, taxpayers began to halt runaway privatization of government services. Maryland's Legislature passed a law banning private contractors from contracting with the state if they broke the law. In Oregon, Nebraska and Connecticut, legislatures passed laws requiring more supervision of private contracts.

Today, dozens of cities, counties and school districts are set to impose more control over private contractors, according to a new report by In The Public Interest. And a total of 19 states had legislation introduced that would let taxpayers reclaim control of public services.

The rush to privatize government services began in the 1970s with claims the private sector could do it 'better, faster and cheaper,' than the government. But by now citizens are finding out 'privatization' often means private contractors looting the public treasury.

In, Chicago, residents rebelled against the privatization of the city's 36,000 parking meters. According to the Atlantic Monthly,

Parking-meter rates had suddenly gone up as much as fourfold. Some meters jammed and overflowed when they couldn't hold enough change for the new prices. In other areas, new electronic meters had been installed, but many of them didn't give receipts or failed to work entirely. And free parking on Sundays was a thing of the past.

The new meter regime sparked mass outrage. People held protests and threatened to boycott. But there was little recourse: The city had leased its 36,000 meters to a private Morgan Stanley-led consortium in exchange for $1.2 billion in up-front revenue. The length of the lease: 75 years.

It got worse: an inspector general's report found the city's taxpayers overpaid the Morgan Stanley consortium by $974 million.

Here's another example: 65 percent of state contracts with private prison company CCA guarantee 90 percent of the prison beds will be filled, or the state will pay CCA for the difference.

The In the Public Interest report describes some sensible proposals to let taxpayers take more control of government spending on private contracts:

In California, a resolution passed the Assembly that said lawmakers opposed any outsourcing of public services and assets that did not meet standards of transparency, accountability, shared prosperity and competition.

In Georgia, a bill was introduced requiring contracts to demonstrate a 10 percent cost savings to taxpayers. Minnesota lawmakers considered a bill to require a 15 percent savings from a private contractor.

Teamster NewsSupreme Court Ruling Forces NLRB to Scramble to Revisit Cases Wall Street Journal ...The Supreme Court ruling that President Barack Obama exceeded his authority in 2012 by appointing three people to the National Labor Relations Board kicks off a scramble by the current board to revisit hundreds of labor decisions made while the now-departed appointees were seated...The company, a division of Noel Corp. of Yakima, Wash., argued the recess appointments were invalid, leaving the NLRB without a quorum when it made the bottler comply with a Teamsters collective-bargaining agreement...Supreme Court Rebukes Obama on Right of Appointment New York Times ...At the same time, the court largely reinstated an uneasy, centuries-long accommodation between the executive branch and the Senate, in which recess appointments were allowed during more substantial breaks...EVSC employee groups represented by Teamsters Local 215 have until noon Friday to accept 'final offer' Evansville Courier & Press ...Teamsters Local 215 have until noon Friday to accept the EVSC School Board's final offer...Ulster RRA Approves New Contract With Teamster Employees Mid Hudson News ...The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency Board has approved a four-year contract with Teamsters Local 445. The last agreement between the workers and the RRA expired at the end of 2012...Twinsburg Teamster's Union To See 3% Raises Under New Contract Twinsburg Bulletin ...The union employees of the city's wastewater treatment department will see three percent raises to their hourly wages under a new contract approved between the city and Teamsters Local No. 436....Fed-Up Uber Drivers Give Company Policies A One-Star Rating LAist ...A large group of Uber drivers, their family members and teamsters gathered in front of the company's office in Santa Monica on Tuesday to protest what they called a "general lack of communication, arbitrary treatment and unfair business practices." They're also lobbying for state legislation that they say would protect their livelihoods...TradeTrans-Pacific Partnership (NAFTA On Steroids) Threatens Sovereignty The New American ...Of all the weapons aimed at our freedom and founding documents, though, there is perhaps none more potent than the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)...State BattlesNew York’s Ban on Big Sodas Is Rejected by Final Court New York Times ...The Bloomberg big-soda ban is officially dead...With Minimum Wage Increase Accomplished, Massachusetts Labor Activists Turn To Campaign For Earned Sick Time MassLive ...The Legislature passed, and Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign, a bill raising the state's minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2017....Wisconsin second only to Alabama in cuts to education funding, study shows The Cap Times ...Spending per pupil in Wisconsin was down $1,038 from 2008 for the school year just ended. Alabama cut per-pupil spending by $1,242...Lawyer clarifies Walker not target Politico ...“At the time the investigation was halted, Governor Walker was not a target of the investigation,” Schmitz lawyer Randall Crocker wrote in a one-page statement...LePage includes Social Security among ‘welfare’ programs Portland Press Herald ...He also puts Medicare and jobless aid in that category while arguing that Maine’s personal-income ranking would be better if such federal payments were excluded...Secrecy in Pensions Triggers Legislative Brawl in North Carolina Bloomberg ...(North Carolina Treasurer Janet) Cowell, a 45-year-old Democrat, opposed a bill by the State Employees Association of North Carolina to require more disclosure about deals with Wall Street firms hired to manage alternatives to stocks and bonds for the $87 billion pension she controls...War On WorkersWhat’s at Stake in Harris v. Quinn Economic Policy Institute ...The Supreme Court is about to issue a decision on a case that could hit working people—especially working women—right in the paycheck. Harris v. Quinn is about isolating individual workers so they are weak and unable to protect themselves in a labor market that fails to reward their hard work...Oakland emails give another glimpse into the Google-Military-Surveillance Complex Pando Daily ...The “Domain Awareness Center” (DAC) — a federally funded project that, if built as planned, would link up real time audio and video feeds from thousands of sensors across the city — including CCTV cameras in public schools and public housing projects, as well as Oakland Police Department mobile license plate scanners ... city officials were more interested in using DAC’s surveillance capabilities to monitor political protests rather than fighting crime. The evidence was abundant and overwhelming: in email after email, Oakland officials had discussed the DAC usefulness for keeping tabs on activists, monitoring non-violent political protests and minimize port disruption due to union/labor strikes...'We Need Respect: Meet The New 'Rosie The Riveters' Washington Post ...From the cashier at the Pentagon Dunkin’ Donuts to the custodian at Union Station, working women, mothers and grandmothers from about 50 companies that do business with the federal government marched to call for higher wages and the right to unionize...Ikea Will Raise The Minimum Wage For Its American Workers Think Progress ...Ikea will announce Thursday a plan to raise its average minimum wage at U.S. stores to $10.76 an hour, a 17 percent increase over the current wage...Consumer Inflation Hits Highest Level Since 2012, Near Fed’s 2% Target Wall Street Journal ...The price index for personal consumption expenditures — the Fed’s preferred gauge — advanced 1.8% in May from a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That was the highest level since October 2012 and a stark pickup from February when annual inflation stood at just 0.8%...MiscellaneousPilots To Begin Contract Negotiations With American in July SkyTalk ...American Airlines and its pilots union have agreed to begin contract talks on July 8, the union said on Tuesday. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, said it plans to tackle challenging issues in the contract talks with management...Union Group Hits $10B Goal, Has Money To Lend On U.S. Infrastructure Denver Post ...One of the nation's largest trade union federations announced Tuesday at The Clinton Global Initiative in Denver it has raised $10 billion for investment in America's built infrastructure that it pledged in 2011...

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Federal contract employees walked off the job dressed as Rosie the Riveter.

Massachusetts and IKEA raised their minimum wages today, showing workers can win concessions when they stand together and fight.

The wage increases for the lowest paid workers follow a concerted series of walkouts and job actions over the past two years by workers at Walmart, warehouses, fast food restaurants, retail stores, ports, food processing companies and federal contractors. The Teamsters Union has strongly supported those actions, as locals directly support warehouse workers, port truck drivers and workers at Taylor Farms.

President Obama recently ordered the minimum wage for government-contract workers to $10.10. That isn't enough, they say. More than 100 hourly employees walked off the job even as Obama was speaking at a summit on working families on Monday: The Washington Post reported,

“Nobody who cooks our troops’ meals or washes their dishes should have to live in poverty,” he said of workers in federal buildings, speaking Monday at the White House Summit on Working Families in D.C.. “That’s a disgrace.”

But less than half a mile away, about 150 of those same hourly employees took a different stance. They had walked off their jobs in federal buildings earlier that morning, gathering outside the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in a protest aimed directly at the president...

“The struggle is that we do not make enough money to be able to survive,” said Joanne Kenon, a greeter at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. “To live in D.C., it costs a lot.”

Raising the minimum wage isn't enough, though, if workers can't organize and negotiate with employers. And commercial activity will continue to stagnate so long as so much of the American workforce earns poverty wages.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on Thursday signed into law a measure raising the minimum wage to the highest of any U.S. state, $11 per hour, by 2017...

"Raising the minimum wage brings a little relief to the working poor, many of whom do jobs we could not live without and who recycle money right back into the economy," Patrick said in a statement announcing the signing.

The law will raise the state's minimum wage in stages from its current level of $8 per hour and follows similar moves by neighboring Connecticut and Vermont.

We love this video from our brothers and sisters at Teamsters Local 362 in Alberta, Canada. It really explains what belonging to a union really means.

Teamsters Local 362 has 7,400 members covered by 100 collective bargaining agreements. Historically Local 362 covered transportation and construction companies, but is now quite diverse. It represents members who work for UPS, Grimshaw Trucking, Brinks Canada, construction and pipeline companies -- to name a few.

Here's what Teamsters Local 362 says about itself on its blog:

Teamsters Local 362 stands firm on the value that you have to be united to be strong. At 362 it’s not just about being part of a union – it’s about being part of a family. It’s a collective voice that demands to be listened to and it’s often the only voice that can be heard on the job. It’s also a voice that’s over 125,000 members strong across Canada! Through good times and bad the Teamsters fight for a fair wage, safe working conditions and secure employment. And like all strong families – we are extended. There are scholarships and pensions that ensure a bright future for all of our members.

Life happens and situations change but the Teamsters are a constant – fighting for your rights as a worker, but also helping the communities that you live in. After the floods hit Calgary in June of 2013, the Teamsters Local 362 gave ten thousand dollars to the Building Trades of Alberta who collectively gave two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Red Cross.-Longer lasting benefit with help of Joint Council 90 to Calgary Foundation.

The Teamsters also promote opportunity. Membership can include training, upgrading for certificates, safety courses, job boards and a youth committee that offers growth and investment within the union.

Cutting government spending has a negative impact on job creation, which is contrary to a common belief that 'government doesn't create jobs.'

The chart above shows how countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal cut spending drastically -- and experienced the steepest drop in the employment rate. Countries like the United States and Germany increased government spending to boost commercial activity -- and didn't fare nearly so badly as countries with governments that practiced budget austerity.

In 2010, after an initial round of coordinated stimulus from both wealthy and developing countries, deficit hawks around the world regrouped. Pointing to growing deficits and debt, they demanded that countries reverse course and begin moving toward balanced budgets. The deficit hawks argued that deficit reduction could be accomplished without impairing growth because of the effect it would have in boosting confidence among businesses and consumers.

Many economists argued against this drive towards austerity at the time. They noted and rigorously explained the fallacious logic in the idea that deficit reduction could be expansionary. They also pointed out how fiscal policy had already saved the economy from a second depression and that more stimulus would likely be necessary. However, now we have more than three years of data, so we no longer have to speculate. A simple picture can be worth a thousand words (or in this case, billions).

You will not find this chart in any literature promoted by ALEC, the dating service for corporations and state lawmakers. ALEC every year sponsors a nutty 'report' that shows states with low government spending and weak unions are better for doing business. The report is written by a clown named Arthur Laffer who has been so discredited he has to peddle his ideas on FOX News.

Laffer gives high ratings for 'business-friendly environments' to two states that pursued ALEC's economic agenda: Kansas and Wisconsin. And yet here's how they've performed, according to Econbrowser:

...“pro-business” policies do not appear to be conducive to rapid employment growth.

Employment in Governor Walker’s Wisconsin, as in Governor Brownback’s Kansas, has lagged behind that of the United States (and behind that of Governor Dayton’s Minnesota and Governor Brown’s California)...

The services, such as UberX and Lyft, are operating illegally in the city and are stealing work from D.C. taxi drivers. Last year, the city gave the services an extension to operate until regulations were in place.

The extension ended several months ago but the city failed to enact fair regulations, giving the private sedan services a big competitive edge. There’s a risk to the public as well. For example, drivers for the private sedan services are not required to undergo thorough background checks.

“Virginia ordered a cease and desist order on these companies and the District of Columbia needs to do the same,” said Irfan Jamali, a D.C. taxi driver for the past 24 years. “We are tired of seeing our livelihoods harmed because of the city’s inaction. We demand fairness now!”

Taxi drivers have to pay 25 cents to the D.C. Taxi Commission for every ride, while Uber X and Lyft do not. They have to pay $125 every year for a picture ID, they're required to be fingerprinted, they have to have FBI background checks and they have to have commercial license plates. The unregulated ride-sharing drivers don't have to do any of those things.

Taxi drivers around the world are protesting the unregulated ride services that are eating into their livelihoods. That doesn't mean they're against the drivers. Teamsters are trying to organize Uber and Lyft drivers in California and Seattle.

The union’s protest involves a slow-moving taxi caravan that began Wednesday morning at Washington’s East Potomac Park. The drivers are planning to proceed to the U.S. Capitol and end at Freedom Plaza, which is located near the City Hall building in downtown Washington.

Union President Ferline Buie said her members are making the case that the rules governing online cab services were unfair to traditional drivers.

“The D.C. drivers have seen the protests across the United States and around the world, and today it is their turn to join the growing chorus calling for these services to follow the same rules and regulations that they must follow,” Buie said. “All they want is a level playing field.”

Fifteen people were arrested for civil disobedience in the latest Moral Monday protest (on Monday, of course) against the North Carolina Legislature's efforts to impoverish working people. According to reports, Moral Monday activists will turn their attention to getting out the vote for candidates who support working families.

After the arrests at the teach-in/pray-in/sit-in event, a block party broke out in front of the Capitol.

The NAACP says the latest arrests put the total number of people arrested since the "Moral Monday" protests started last year at over 1,000.

This week's rally included a series of seminars in the halls of the Legislative Building just before the House and Senate went into session that focused on how to get people to the polls in November and organize local protest groups.

General Assembly Police asked the protesters to leave shortly before the 15 arrests, saying the group was disturbing the business of the House and Senate.

Moral Monday activists object to the Legislature raising taxes on the poor and middle class while lowering them for the rich. They oppose new voter suppression laws, cuts to education, cuts to unemployment insurance benefits and weaker environmental protections. Their agenda comes straight from the playbook of ALEC, the corporate dating service for corporations and state lawmakers.

Moral Monday protests embarrassed North Carolina's lawmakers, so they tried to ban them after 900 activists were arrested last year. This year they passed a law letting police arrest anyone who poses a threat to create a disturbance. So just the possibility of an 'imminent disturbance' could get you arrested in North Carolina.

The movement had its beginnings in 2006, when Rev. Barber and others, recognizing the need for a new form of “fusion politics,” began building the Historic Thousands on Jones Street movement (HKonJ)...

“We recognized that many of the same political forces that are against, say, gender rights, are often also against education equality, environmental justice, and policies that help the poor,” Barber said, explaining the beginnings of the Moral Mondays movement. “And so we said that we needed in North Carolina — and we said this is when Democrats were in office — to have a new form of fusion politics if we were going to really address the South...”

The new “fusion politics” fuses together political issues that are often seen and addressed as separate concerns. This “fusion” is reflected in the 14 point agenda of the HKonJ movement, which embraced issues like public education, livable wages, health care, voting rights, environmental justice, collective bargaining and workers’ rights in the context of “liberty and justice for all.”

Teamster NewsD.C. Taxi Drivers To Stage Caravan For Fairness On Wednesday, June 25 teamster.org ... Hundreds of D.C. cab drivers affiliated with the Teamsters Union will take part in a “Fairness NOW!” caravan throughout the city on Wednesday, June 25 to demand an immediate stop to illegal private sedan services until a fair resolution is reached...Delegates to BMWED/Teamsters Take Historic Action At Convention teamster.org ...Delegates of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division convention have elected the first female member of the union's Executive Board, Stacey Moody Gilbert...Trade#SOSJobs: The Story of The Rally On The Iron Range manufacture this ...Less than a month remains until the US Department of Commerce makes its final decision on a trade case that will affect thousands of steelworkers across the United States...State BattlesMayoral veto overturned Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette ...City Council members voted along party lines Tuesday to override Mayor Tom Henry’s veto of the new prohibition on collective bargaining for city employees who are not police or firefighters...Mayors Want Federal Minimum Wage Hike Dallas News ...Mike Rawlings oversaw many minimum-wage workers as top executive at Pizza Hut. Now, as the mayor of Dallas, he’s trying to determine what a living wage is for city residents and city contract workers...Changes To Wage Theft Prevention Law Approved By New York State Legislature Daily Labor Report ...The new measure would go even further by increasing penalties for violations to $50 to $200 per day from $50 to $200 per week and raising maximum penalties to $5,000 from $2,000. The bill also would establish penalties of $1,000 to $20,000 for repeat violators. Maximum liquidated damages would be increased under the bill to $20,000 from $10,000...2nd Bridge Inquiry Said To Be Linked To Christie New York Times ...The inquiries into securities law violations focus on a period of 2010 and 2011 when Gov. Chris Christie’s administration pressed the Port Authority to pay for extensive repairs to the Skyway and related road projects, diverting money that was to be used on a new Hudson River rail tunnel that Mr. Christie canceled in October 2010...Water is a Human Right: Detroit Residents Seek U.N. Intervention as City Shuts Off Taps to Thousands Democracy Now ... Since March, up to 3,000 account holders have had their water cut off every week. The Detroit water authority carries an estimated $5 billion in debt and has been the subject of privatization talks...War On WorkersAfter Gap Raised Its Minimum Wage, Job Applications Surged Think Progress ...As of June, the lowest-paid Gap employees are making $9 an hour, and that will increase to $10 in June of next year. The raise will affect 65,000 employees in the United States. One of the reasons originally cited was to be able to “attract and retain great talent,” and Chairman and CEO Glenn Murphy had said, “Our decision to invest in frontline employees will directly support our business, and is one that we expect to deliver a return many times over.”...Contract Workers Strike: Government Is The Top Low-Wage Employer Of Women Moyers & Company ...Hundreds of women struggling to make ends meet on the low wages paid by federal contractors went on strike in Washington, DC, today....They’re demanding that President Obama sign an executive order allowing them to bargain collectively for better pay, decent health care and paid sick leave...Fact-Checking Walmart's Fact-Check Of The New York Times Huffington Post ...Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Apple and Wells Fargo paid more in taxes than Walmart...MiscellaneousFederal Judge Rules US Citizens Placed on No-Fly List Had Their Due Process Rights Violated firedoglake ...A federal district court in Oregon has ruled that United States citizens who were placed on the No-Fly List had their rights to “procedural due process” violated. The current process is unconstitutional and the government must “provide a new process” that satisfies the “constitutional requirements for due process.”...Veterangate: VA whistleblower says records of deceased vets were altered RT ...A Veteran Affairs employee has come forward claiming that government officials doctored the medial records of deceased veterans in order to hide the fact that they died waiting for medical care...Want To Suppress The Vote? Stress People Out Mother Jones ...individuals who have higher baseline levels of the bodily stress hormone cortisol are, as a group, less likely to vote. In other words, individuals who are more sensitive to stress don't appear to vote as often...

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Good news for tired truckers: a spending bill in Congress has stalled and may not be put to a vote. The bill includes an amendment by Sen. Susan Collins of Maine that would allow truckers to drive 82 hours a week.

He filed an amendment to leave the house-of-service rules as they are. Today he published an op-ed in the Times of Trentonr explaining why:

Over the past few weeks, New Jerseyans felt the devastation of at least four major accidents involving tractor-trailer collisions, and national statistics sadly show that these incidents are unfolding more and more frequently. From 2009 to 2012, truck crash injuries increased by 40 percent and truck crash fatalities increased by 16 percent.

We know why many of these tragedies are happening: Truck driver fatigue is a leading cause of major truck accidents. These drivers, who work extremely long days to deliver the goods we depend on and to keep the American economy moving, deserve basic protections that allow them to get sufficient rest to do their job safely and efficiently.

Just this past Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on the truck crash that happened on the New Jersey Turnpike June 7. The collision killed one passenger traveling in a limousine, required four other limo passengers to be airlifted to a hospital and involved six other cars.

The driver of the truck, according to the NTSB report, had logged 13 hours and 32 minutes of work at the time of the crash. Had he reached his destination, he most certainly would have exceeded the number of hours truck drivers are federally permitted to work in a given day. Current regulations prevent truck drivers from exceeding 14 hours of work and 11 hours of driving each day.

At a time when we need to be doing more to improve highway safety, it is unconscionable that we would roll back evidence-based, lifesaving rules.

Administrative costs only represent 1.4 percent of the Social Security Administration's budget. But cutting those costs has very real effects on beneficiaries. For example, the program to mail annual statements got slashed by $70 million. You are now forced to view your annual statement online, and if you don't have a computer, too bad. These statements are important to remind citizens of the benefits they earned. But only 6 percent of all American workers have signed up on the SSA website to view them.

Teamster-represented taxi drivers in Washington, D.C., are bearing the brunt of regulation and taxation while competitors such as Uber X get a free ride.

They want the unfairness to end.

It did in Virginia. Recently, the Commonwealth of Virginia recently ordered a halt to ride-sharing services like Uber X and Lyft. According to WTOP,

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles says that ride services Lyft and Uber are violating state law and must stop operating immediately...

The letters state that the department has levied penalties against both companies for operating without proper authority. For several months, the state notified both companies that they were not complying with Virginia law.

Virginia's DMV also warned riders to ask about additional payments such as gratuities, fuel or mileage. So-called surge pricing can also run up the fare. A Los Angeles rider was charged a $357 fare late last year, and said the Better Business Bureau had fielded a number of similar issues.

Washington, D.C., residents are being cheated by Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar, which avoid paying the taxes the regulated taxi drivers pay. Among the burdens taxi drivers do not share with Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar:

DC taxi drivers pay $125 every year for a picture ID. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers do not

DC taxi drivers are required to be fingerprinted. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers are not

DC taxi drivers are required to have cars inspected every 6 months. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers do not

DC taxi drivers are required to have commercial license plates. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers are not

DC taxi drivers pay $.25 to the taxi commission for every ride. Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers do not

DC taxi drivers are held to higher safety standards than are Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar drivers

The Teamster taxi drivers are demanding the D.C. Taxicab Commission order the private sedan companies to cease operations until the differences are resolved.

Last year, D.C. gave the unregulated ride-sharing services an extension to operate until regulations were put in place. The District failed to enact regulations and the extension ended. That means Uber X, Lyft and Sidcar are operating illegally.

Teamster NewsTeamsters, Taylor Farms clash The Packer ...The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which hopes to represent Taylor Farms employees at two Tracy, Calif., facilities, claims many were denied benefits as a result of prolonged stays in temporary worker status...With help from Teamsters, LA Uber drivers try to organize Southern California Public Radio ...Organizers are expecting up to 500 Uber drivers – supported by Teamsters Local 986 – to hold a demonstration Tuesday morning in front of the Uber offices in Santa Monica...D.C. Taxicab Drivers Organize Against Ridesharing Services WAMU ...local labor groups are focusing on pressuring the D.C. Council to help cabbies stave off competition from the unregulated, on-demand “ridesharing” services UberX, Lyft, and Sidecar. The Teamsters Local 922 is planning to hold a cab driver rally Wednesday at Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington to call on District legislators to level a playing field where the city’s regulated taxi fleet currently feels at a disadvantage to the innovative newcomers...Arbitration Ruling Renews CN, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Agreement Progressive Railroading ...CN on Friday announced it will immediately begin to implement an arbitrator's decision that set the terms and conditions of a new three-year agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY)...TradeThanks to Wikileaks, public can debate alarming new trade deal Trade Reform ...The draft agreement Wikileaks released on June 19 is fresh, written in May. It is a model of secret law, blatant in its disregard for transparency, democratic process and history. Its opening page says the terms are to remain secret for five years after negotiations formally end or the proposed new rules take effect. Talks to refine that agreement were to resume Monday in Geneva...LIVEBLOG: Minnesota State Reps Demand Washington Act On Unfair Steel Trade manufacture this ...Jason Metsa, Tom Anzelc and several others followed Governor Mark Dayton’s powerful demand for federal action on unfair trade in steel ... especially tubular products being produced in South Korea and dumped at below-market prices in the U.S. market...State BattlesWe have a proven formula for success’ (opinion) FortWayne.com ...I recently vetoed an ordinance passed by City Council that would end collective bargaining for non-public safety union employees...Labor Law Repeal To Hit Assembly, Again, On Tuesday Anchorage Daily News ...The latest effort to defeat a controversial city labor law will hit the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday night as members consider a complicated array of options from repealing the measure outright to replacing it with a watered-down version to leaving it as a referendum question on the state ballot in November's election...The Supreme Court Ruled In Favor Of An Alabama Whistle Blower. What Does That Mean For Others Who Expose Corruption? Birmingham News ...Edward Lane was the director of a statewide program for Alabama's at-risk youth when he saw State Rep. Sue Schmitz was drawing pay, but doing no work, for the program. Lane fired Schmitz in 2006 and later testified at her public corruption trials regarding the "no-show" job....Mayors Put Focus On How To Raise Wages For Lowest-Paid Workers In Cities New York Times ...Here at the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, which convened over the weekend, the subject of income inequality seemed to be on almost everyone’s lips, and mayors wondered aloud how best to use their powers to help the lowest-paid workers...War On WorkersStarbucks baristudents should beware the green mermaid bearing gifts (opinion) Guardian ...For the first two years of their education, Starbucks students will qualify for a small scholarship from ASU, but the balance of their tuition payments will have to come from loans and students' own financial resources (aka their take-home pay as baristas)...The CEO Aristocracy: Big Bucks For The Big Boss Washington Post ...Any CEO of a major company is virtually guaranteed to become a multimillionaire. In the Equilar survey, the median holding of company stock was $83 million. CEO compensation has vastly outstripped average wage gains...MiscellaneousJustices Uphold Emission Limits on Big Industry New York Times ...In a big win for environmentalists, the Supreme Court on Monday effectively endorsed the Obama administration’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from sources like power plants, even as it criticized what it called the administration’s overreaching...

Monday, June 23, 2014

TeamstersNLRB orders Anderson Lumber to negotiate with Teamsters Business Management ...The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ordered a Sacramento-area lumber company to restart contract negotiations with the union that represents its employees...TradeTPP unlikely to be finalised this year - PM New Zealand Herald ...Hopes of hammering out a final deal on the 12-country Trans Pacific Partnership agreement this year appear to be fading, Prime Minister John Key indicated this afternoon...Wikileaks brings much-needed scrutiny to secret trade talks The Conversation ... TISA is part of an interlocking web of new super-deals that are being negotiated under similar conditions of secrecy...all documents other than the final text would be withheld for five years after the agreement came into force...No to 'Boehner' Trade, No to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (opinion) Huffington Post ...The House Democratic Caucus is challenging President Obama, saying, "Which side are you on... ours or Republican House Speaker Boehner's?"...Income gap widens as American factories shut down Associated Press ...The downfall of manufacturing in the U.S. has done more than displace workers and leave communities searching for ways to rebuild devastated economies....State BattlesFor Scott Walker, jobs count may be bigger headache than John Doe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...In each of Walker’s first three years, Wisconsin has added private-sector jobs more slowly than the nation as whole, and the gap is sizable...Doe Documents Indicate "David Koch" Call Part of Case Against Walker Uppity Wisconsin ...Walker was "enticed" into a criminal conspiracy with someone he believed to be David Koch because "David Koch" asked "What do you need"? And "publicity efforts"? No, Walker specifically asked for "ads" in "swing areas" for Senators likely to be recalled...War on WorkersAsiana Crash Debate Goes Beyond Pilots to Automation Bloomberg ...U.S. investigators are debating whether to blame a Boeing Co. (BA) jetliner’s design for helping cause a cascade of pilot mistakes in last year’s Asiana Airlines Inc. (020560) crash that killed three Chinese teenagers...God Save the United States From This Anti-Democratic Court (opinion) Daily Beast ...it has degraded the other institutions by clearing a broad path for big money to enter politics...US to Fine BNP $8+ Billion, Suspend Access to Dollar Clearing naked capitalism ...the bank would pay $8 billion to $9 billion and accept other punishment based on what investigators say is evidence the bank intentionally hid $30 billion of financial transactions that violated U.S. sanctions (the deal) would include a guilty plea to a criminal charge of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act...The Case of the Missing White-Collar Criminal (opinion) Bloomberg ...Prosecutors often argue that while executives may have acted recklessly and made mistakes, that doesn’t mean they committed crimes. If so, then the 2008 crisis would be unique in its immaculate conception. After the savings-and-loan bust of the 1980s, more than 1,000 people were charged, and more than 100 company officers and directors served prison terms...

Sunday, June 22, 2014

TradeTISA Angry Bear ...As with leaks from the secret Tran-Pacific Partnership negotiations, this leak shows that the largest corporations are working to bypass recent efforts by governments to rein them in by pushing through “trade” agreements that override their ability to write their own laws and regulations...Trade Treaties and the Coming Rule of the Global Corporatocracy naked capitalism ...The intentions of those negotiating the multiple trade treaties are now crystal clear: to place complete power and control over our economies in the hands of the largest global corporations, many of which bear the lion’s share of responsibility for the economic and environmental mess we’re already in...State BattlesJohn Doe special prosecutor says he voted for Scott Walker in recall Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...This disclosure is intended to counter claims by conservative groups that they are being targeted by prosecutors because they backed the first-term Republican governor...Same song, second verse for Right to Work issue Springfield News-Leader ...Lawmakers will move early on so-called Right to Work next year, Rep. Kevin Austin said this past week. Sound familiar? It's the same message lawmakers shared with the public last year...A $15 minimum wage in Indy? Unlikely Indianapolis Star ...t's a trend cities in Indiana won't be joining anytime soon. State law doesn't allow it...War on WorkersLIUNA: Fix Our Bridges, Roads; Fund the Highway Bill AFL-CIO Now ...With the Highway Trust Fund running out of money, thanks to congressional inaction, crucial highway and bridge repair projects could be shut down starting this summer...Social Security's continuing assault on its own customer service Los Angeles Times ...The downside of drastic cutbacks in the agency's staffing levels, number of field offices and general commitment to service is detailed in a report issued by the Senate Committee on Aging in conjunction with a hearing on the subject Wednesday...Amazon Living Wage campaigners place dummy book on site as protest Guardian ...Campaigners who have been calling on Amazon to "end poverty pay" for months have brought their battle directly to the internet retailer's front doorstep with the launch of a "book" on Amazon's own website slamming the way it treats its workers...German economics minister “austerity policies have failed” billy blog ...what is apparent in modern day Europe is the increasing breakdown of social stability and an emerging law of the jungle driven by unemployment, poverty and the inevitable social exclusion...Citigroup’s Dark Pools: Here’s Why the Public Doesn’t Trust Wall Street Wall Street on Parade ...Citigroup may be operating one of Wall Street’s largest collections of dark pools, trading stocks 24/7 around the globe in de facto unregulated stock exchanges which it operates under a dizzying array of different names...

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Teamster NewsSafety Report On Tracy Morgan Crash Raises New Questions MSN ..."The NTSB's preliminary findings in this case clearly show that truck drivers are pushing beyond the limits of the current hours of service rules," Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa said....Commissioners Approve Employee Communications Consultants In Wake Of Union Petition The Sentinel ...The Cumberland County commissioners voted 2-1 Thursday afternoon to approve a contract addendum allowing labor council Campbell, Durrant, Beatty, Palombo & Miller to engage consultants for communications with employees...Labor Relations Board Judge To Hear Claims Against Rancho Dominguez Trucking Firm Long Beach Press-Telegram ...A National Labor Relations Board judge in August will hear allegations by Los Angeles and Long Beach port truck drivers and their supporters that a Rancho Dominguez trucking firm committed more than 50 labor law violations...Temporary Workers, Paid Sick Days, Back Wages Lead California Labor Priorities Sacramento Bee ...Paid sick days. Tougher penalties for employers who withhold back wages. More liability for corporations that use subcontractors. The priority list of organized labor, a formidable force in the Legislature, begins with these three items...Teamsters: NLRB Complaint Issued Against Green Fleet Systems teamster.org ...In a tremendous victory for Los Angeles/Long Beach port truck drivers who have gone on three “Unfair Labor Practice” strikes in the last eleven months, Region 21 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a consolidated complaint alleging a myriad of over 50 egregious labor law violations against one of the larger drayage companies, Green Fleet Systems (GFS) (the company also has operations at the Port of Savannah, Georgia)...Kraft Foods workers in Avon ratify new contract Democrat & Chronicle ...After nearly 13 months of negotiations, members of Teamsters Local 118 have ratified a new four-year contract with Kraft Foods...Vermont Bus Maintenance Workers Ratify Teamster Contract teamster.org ...Maintenance workers in Vermont's Chittenden County bus system have ratified a new contract with Teamsters Local 597...TradePocan calls for end to Brunei negotiations over new anti-LGBT laws Gay Politics ...U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, along with over 100 other House members, called on Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman to stop any further negotiations with the government of on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement until Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah revokes a newly adopted penal code that is in gross violation of human rights...Dear Defense Contractor CEOs: Why Is the Pentagon Buying Weapons With Chinese Parts Instead of US Parts? truthout ...At least 80 of our nation's primary weapon systems wouldn't work at all without Chinese-sourced rare earth materials...State BattlesWisconsin Employment Flatlines Econbrowser ...State-level employment figures released this morning by the BLS indicate indicate that as US (and regional peer Minnesota) employment powers along, Wisconsin lags. As does Kansas. Hence, the negative correlation between the ALEC-Laffer economic outlook index and actual economic activity persists...4 Key Takeaways About Scott Walker's Alleged "Criminal Scheme" Mother Jones ...Prosecutors are probing whether Walker and two of his aides illegally coordinated with outside groups—including the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity—to fend off a wave of recall elections in 2011 and 2012...It's Official. Big Food Sues Vermont truthout ...Monsanto and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) filed a lawsuit in federal the U.S. District Court, State of Vermont, to overturn Vermont’s recently passed GMO labeling law...Audit finds 'intentional misuse' of funds by Elevate Ventures Indianapolis Business Journal ...The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Treasury Department says Elevate Ventures “intentionally misused” almost $500,000 in taxpayer funds when the state contractor invested in a company run by its board chairman...SEC Charges Private Equity Firm With Pay-to-Play Violations Involving Political Campaign Contributions in Pennsylvania SEC ...The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Philadelphia-area private equity firm with violating “pay-to-play” rules by continuing to receive advisory fees from the city and state pension funds following campaign contributions made by an associate in 2011 to the governor of Pennsylvania and a candidate for mayor of Philadelphia...Keurig and Coca-Cola Brew Jobs in Georgia manufacture this ...The two beverage companies will create 550 new jobs in Douglasville, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) and invest $337 million into the facility in the next five years. The new manufacturing center will produce pods for the company’s new Keurig Cold Platform...War On WorkersSupreme Court Gives Public Workers 1st Amendment Shield Los Angeles Times ...The Supreme Court shielded public employees from being fired or disciplined if they testify in court against their superiors, ruling Thursday that the 1st Amendment protects citizens who are called upon to tell the truth...Local cops can track your phone, and the government doesn’t want you to know how Columbia Journalism Review ...Police departments around the country increasingly are using sophisticated technology to surveil American citizens by monitoring cellphone data, in many cases carefully hiding those activities from the public and the press...MiscellaneousThe Dead-End Of Financialization: Innovation Is Slumping For A Reason David Stockman's Contra Corner ...monetary policy is not neutral as proclaimed, but rather ... there are innumerable and immeasurable changes due to persistent monetary intrusions that depress economic potential ... The fullest expression of that is the complete infiltration of “easy money” as an expectation – it erodes everything from what we expect from stocks (doubling your money every year is normal!) to actual work ethic (“put your money to work”) to resource allocation (day traders and house flippers, not to mention Wall Street mathematicians and lawyers, rather than industrial entrepreneurs)...